The Cats score 36 combined goals to start the year.
Northwestern opened the 2025 lacrosse season on Friday in Ryan Fieldhouse beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 13-10. They followed up on Sunday with a 23-3 win against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Expectations were high for the 2024 NCAA runner-ups, and the team did not disappoint.
Friday kicked off the first season in six years where two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane did not start for the Cats (save 2022, a season which she missed due to ACL injury). Of the eight starters who Northwestern lost at the end of the 2024 season, none would be felt more than Scane, who led the nation in points last year.
It was appropriate that the season opener was also “Scane Night.” The legend met with fans before the game, and the school honored her at halftime with a glowing tribute. In a brief speech, she thanked all those who had helped her succeed in Evanston.
“You are my sisters for life,” Scane said to her former teammates.
But the eldest sibling had graduated. She was off to write a new story and had left her younger siblings to face the playground bullies on their own. Had they learned to stand up for themselves? Or would the big kids on the block push them off the swings and into the dirt?
A year prior, the Cats had fallen to Notre Dame in the second game of the year, losing 14-10 in South Bend. Would things be different in Evanston? Well, every kid on the block showed up to watch the showdown. By game time, it was standing room only in Ryan Fieldhouse.
As hundreds of voices fell quiet before the first draw, a silent question resounded: could this new squad of Cats live up to the legacy that past players had handed to them?
Northwestern answered that question 63 seconds in. Madison Taylor was awarded a free position after a foul by Notre Dame’s Lila O’Brien, and she was right on target to give Northwestern an early lead. Riley Campbell concurred with Taylor’s answer 85 seconds later, finishing off a lightning-quick counterattack to put the Cats up 2-0.
It would be unwise to blink. Northwestern scored seven unanswered points by the end of the first quarter. Senior Emerson Bohlig and first-year Aditi Foster added their names to the score column while Taylor and Campbell combined for three more. Just over a minute into the second quarter, Taylor scored again: 8-0 Northwestern.
If you forget the first 17 minutes, it was a competitive match. The Fighting Irish outscored the Cats 10-5 over the rest of the game. Kate Timarky, Kristen Shanahan and Kathryn Morrissey scored a hat trick each for the blue and gold.
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller seemed to disagree with Notre Dame’s offensive methodology. Notre Dame possessed well in the final third of the field, but too many trips ended without the attackers taking a shot. Not so much for Northwestern, as the Wildcats put up 22 shots in the first half, 17 of which were on target.
The Fighting Irish had their moments, but Northwestern always kept at least a three-goal cushion. Facilitating genius Niki Miles added a goal of her own to her three assists. The night ended 13-10, and the Cats ended any doubts — they were back.
Super Bowl Sunday saw the Philadelphia Eagles wipe out the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. The birds put together a complete team effort shutting down Patrick Mahomes in the first half and never seemed to stop scoring. Perhaps, the Eagles were inspired by Northwestern’s performance hours earlier.
Northwestern’s match against Canisius was merely the exclamation point to Friday. The ‘Cats blew the Golden Griffins out of the water 23-3. Canisius only shot the ball 11 times the entire afternoon. Only six of those shots were on target. Of the Golden Griffins’ three scores, only one occurred during live play. The others came from free positions.
On the other hand, Northwestern was firing on all cylinders as 14 Wildcats wound up in the score column. Ten players assisted with at least one goal. Senior midfielder Sam Smith earned three goals to her name. Campbell, senior Jordan Miles, and junior Lucy Munro scored twice each.
But Taylor was the star of the Lake Show this weekend. The junior put up a double hat trick on Friday, before adding another five against the Golden Griffins. Surely, both teams had prepared for her – she was responsible for 83 goals last season. But even the Fighting Irish, ranked No. 10 in the nation last year, could not slow her down.
On the whole, it was a blistering start to the 2025 season for Northwestern. The Wildcats continue their five game homestand on Saturday when Boston College flies into town — the same Eagles who came back from a seven-goal deficit to win the NCAA title against Northwestern last year.
Just means more must-see action from the Lake Show on deck.